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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Christmas in September - Corn starch and Baking Soda Ornaments

I have tried salt dough with my kids in the past and although they loved it, I never loved the end result. It seemed to take forever for the dough to dry in the oven, microwave and/or on the counter and I found the color was never really nice.

I have longed for a pure white ornament that could be used as gift tags. So when I found this recipe online (I got the final version I used on cooks.com) I was really excited.

I was excited that I had all the ingredients on hand (who doesn't have corn starch and baking soda in their pantry?) and I love that this recipe produced a beautiful pure white dough that seems to have a shimmer. I am not sure which ingredient does it, but when the uncooked dough is in the light it sparkles. I will try this recipe again and add some white glitter to see how it works..I will let you know how that goes.

I tested out two different ways of hardening this recipe, air dry overnight and baking. I have to say I far preferred the results of the air dry. I liked the the kids could have the ornaments within 30 minutes with the baking, but the final result was a a little yellow and the shimmer was lost. So I highly recommend being prepared for an overnight dry time if you want amazing results.

The candy cane was air dried and the bell was baked. It is hard to see, but the candy cane is much whiter. A funny thing is, I didn't notice until now that we put the hole on the wrong side of the candy cane..so when I went to hang it on the tree to photograph it was a 'J'.

Full batch recipe:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 cups cool water

I only did 1/4 of this recipe as a test to see how it worked. I had intended to make another batch with fancy ornaments and gift tags to post it here on Full of Great Ideas, but I absolutely loved this craft and wanted to share it with you right away. You never know, some of you might be bored on a Sunday afternoon and wanted to do something with your kids.

Method:

Mix cornstarch and baking soda in a pot.

Add water to the powder mixture. It will seem like the water sits on top, but after a little stirring in mixes all together into a runny mix.

Place the pot on a stove over medium heat.

Be sure to stir the mixture constantly.

Once it thickens (you will know when it is done..it becomes a ball), turn into a bowl.

Cover with a damp paper towel and let cool.

This is an important step. Don't be impatient like me and try to kneed it with your hands when it is piping hot! I try to teach my children to wait and be patient, but I can't seem to follow my own advice. If you are like me and decide to burn your hands, add one extra step...run hands under cold water and try to refrain from cursing because your children are watching and waiting to the dough to be done. :)

Knead the cooled mixture until smooth. It is amazing at how nice and smooth the dough becomes. I have never used the Magic Dough from Crayola (too cheap) but this is what I envision it to be like.

Roll out the dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick on a flat surface. If you find the mixture to be a little sticky, add a little cornstarch either on the counter on kneed it into the mixture.

Cut out desired shape with cookie cutters.

I had a few cookie press from when I was younger that the kids wanted to try and to be honest with you they are my favorites!

We used a drinking straw to make the hole a the top of each of the ornaments.

My son decided he was going to decorate a snowman with a straw and a butter knife. It is cute and he is quite proud of his work.

When I left the ornaments out to air dry, they dried nicely overnight. I did flip them over before I went to bed to ensure both sides dried evenly. This produced the nicest ornaments! They remained pure white and still have the shimmer to them.

But if you want to bake them, be prepared, they will slightly brown a bit in the process (especially the back). If you plan to paint the ornament, this is a great option for you. I was hoping to make pure white ornaments, so the air dry method was my favorite.

To bake them, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ornaments on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Be sure to watch closely for the last 10-15 minutes to prevent over browning.

Here is the back of one of the ornaments I baked. See how the back of the ornament is a light brown?

You can seal any unused dough in plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator until needed. I am not sure how long it will last, so I recommend only making enough for you to use within a few days.

The possibilities are endless for this craft! My kids have always loved making things out of dough, but we have never found a reasonably priced dough that air dries. You can add food coloring along with the water to color the dough and like I said, I think some glitter for Christmas ornaments would be amazing!

My kids have always made ornaments for family members but this year I think the ornaments will double as the labels. Have any of you ever make reusable Christmas gift labels? This will be my first year, but I am excited especially for family members who are just starting out and don't have many ornaments.

Have any of you used this recipe before? What have your results been?

Anyone else getting ready for Christmas already? What are you working on?

i just love the effect of white ornies on a tree and this is a must try with my grand kids...how do you store these and do they break easily?thanks for the step by step....pictures make the difference.....vivian

Hi Vivian, I made a few different thicknesses and the really thin ones did break easily but the ornaments that were approx 1/4 inch thick were very strong. I will store them wrapped in tissue, flat in a box like I do all my other flat Christmas ornaments.Stephanie

I have not been excited about the other dough because of the color. This seems more elegant. I have been working for a Santa's Breakfast for 19 years. We have bought plaster ornaments for them to paint. This may be a good item for the teen helpers. We serve around 300 and the parents like the crafts as much or more. Money goes to children's charities. Thank you.

I suppose you could even use a little sandpaper or even a nail file on the edges to smooth out any rough spots or edges that might be a little pointy. I can't wait to give this try. Thanks for sharing! ::

I've used this before and you probably over-cooked on the stove. It's hard to tell when its just right but better to under-cook a little and add a little starch later. It's done when it looks like mashed potatoes. We use fingernail polish to color and I sealed them with sprayed glaze.

What a fabulous idea! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful idea to make with our kids and grandkids. I have been using a recipe that also takes Elmers glue. This seems much easier as well as less expensive.

I plan to use them as gift tags... to from and date on the back... then hang them on the tree the following year :) Kind of a memory ornament of sorts.

I have a simple suggestion for anyone creating their own ornaments. Cut your hanging ribbon/string the length you need. Fold it in half and poke the loop through the hole... then run the two free ends through that loop... now tie a knot in the free ends. You have the same general hanging 'string' except by doing it this way, your ornament will hang outward on your tree, and not have to rest on a branch to stay in a position for good viewing... it won't hang sideways.

From this Grandma - I've passed this recipes along (& still use it), since I made them in a parent run "nursery" school 38+ years ago! Overnight drying is fine, but a lower oven (225ish) for a longer time dries without browning. I've used them at Sunday School and now use makers to color (quicker than paint) or a glue stick and then shake some glitter - a quick fun decoration. Kids love it!

Hi! I followed your recipe and made ornaments from my newborns feet imprints, I'm giving th as gifts to my mom and mother in law. I noticed when they started to dry the ornaments started cracking a lot, I want these to last a long time, do you have any suggestions? Maybe modge podge?

I am sorry I don't have any suggestions. I have done this a few times and have not had any cracking. I wish I could help...have you searched online for others with the same problem? This recipe has been around for many years so you might find some suggestions. Let me know if you do find anything!Stephanie

Thank you for this idea, I have been looking for a special ornament to make for my family, my daughter in law is in the service and they have moved so many places. I want to create the places they have been on ornaments. thanks again

It might just be a coincidence but my (2 year old, well taken care of) teflon coated pan did not survive the cooking and left little black spots in my dough. I would recommend using a non-coated pot for the cooking.

I first came across this recipe 20+ years ago on the box of baking soda. After making it, I would press the dough in a Wilton's candy mold. After letting them set for a few hours, I would remove them and wait for them to air dry. Some I baked, but I didn't like the browning. Once dry, I painted them with regular acrylic paints and sealed them, front and back, with a satin or glossy finish. They lasted at least ten years before mice got to them in the storage shed. I was stunned at their staying power. Now, with young children in the home again, we'll be making more! A great recipe and a great end product.

Hi. When you said you sealed them with satin or glossy finish. What exactly was it? paint? or something else? Thanks!And thanks so much for this recipe and for the details on what to avoid and the pictures. I tried from another site the first time and it didn't work. So, step by step with pictures is super helpful!! A lot of mine cracked too. This time I'm going to let them air dry and see if that works better. Merry Christmas!

Quick question. Please answer if these air dry does it dry all the way through or just the outside layer? I make the flour and salt ones and the outside layer dried and the inside of my ornament stayed like dough then it crumbled. I just want to be sure that these get truly solid and will not crumble

Quick question. Please answer if these air dry does it dry all the way through or just the outside layer? I make the flour and salt ones and the outside layer dried and the inside of my ornament stayed like dough then it crumbled. I just want to be sure that these get truly solid and will not crumble

I know the angel cookie cutter was made by Hallmark and sold in Hallmark Stores. Hallmark still sells cutters at the holidays, putting out different ones all the time. The ones like the angel were sold in the 1970's and maybe even into the 1980's. I see them sold on ebay all the time, and also in thrift stores. Check under "Hallmark cookie press" or "Hallmark cookie cutter" on ebay.

Thank you so much for this, I plan on making Christmas stars with my 2 little granddaughters tomorrow. I wonder if the natural sparkle that you mention is salt? The word 'soda' in baking soda means salt and salt sparkles. Just a thought.

Thank you so much for this! This is my "go to" recipe for clay. It takes color from alcohol inks very well. I use it for making personal aromatherapy diffuser pendants and the little sparkle is an extra plus! I dry mine in the dehydrator with no issues. So economical and durable! You definitely won't be disappointed with this easy recipe.

hi there- I have just recently found this "recipe" and love it! I am glad to see they last a long time! I make the dough with glitter in the mix and also add some after when I am kneading the dough- works great! I also add a teaspoon of peppermint extract. You can vary the extract for different smells. I would suggest modge podge or even a coat of shellac (which will eliminate any extract smell, ah well!)-or you can spray the decorations with a clear or satin coat spray. It's also good to spray over glitter to avoid having pixie dust everywhere! Next up color in the mix!

As far as I know, and I've cooked for over 50 years, there is only one "kind" of baking soda in the states. There are different brands. Just be sure whatever brand you use says "baking SODA" not baking POWDER, and that should do it...Best Wishes..hope this helps !

I am trying to make some ornaments out of your recipe, and I am having a hard time getting the dough not to stick to the rolling pin and once cut, keeping it's shape. Did I do something wrong? Is the dough supposed to feel wet?Could it be that I didn't let it cook enough?

Thanks for posting this Stephanie. My children, both in their mid to late 30's and I made these ornaments when they were young. I just tossed them a few years back, since they didn't want them. Obviously these last a very, very long time if cared for properly. we always hung them on the tree. Now that the children are gone and busy with careers (no grandchildren :( ) we just have a small tree and I'm going to made new smaller ornaments for our tree since the old ones were actually to big. I had lost my recipe, and found yours and I just wanted to thank you!

I have found my thicker ones have been more likely to crack - about 1/4" seems to be idea. Some of the smaller thick ones have been fine, though, they just take longer to dry. Keep flipping them; took us a weekend to dry them out. Acrylic (all-surface is my go to, actually) paints work best because they don't dissolve the dough. And then I clear coat pretty much everything with Krylon's triple thick clear glaze - spray until they look wet, let them dry, and they look gorgeous. And that makes them water proof, helps the paint not chip off (ornaments get bumped), and brings out the colour so well. The only difficulty I've had is lifting them off the counter once I've cut them to move them for drying - I muck up the backs so bad they look awful, and it took us a ridiculous amount of time to get them decently smooth. I also have smushed a few while moving them, and my pretty snowflakes lost a few arms in the process. Any suggestions? I am going to attempt to roll them out on parchment paper to see if I can sneak my fingers under the paper and manipulate them more easily that way, and I'd like a thinner spatula, but I'd love tips if anyone has them.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to write this. I'm sorry but after following your recipe to the letter I found the dough to be so floppy it was unmanageable and items went out of shape instantly when moving them onto parchment paper. They were not smooth either once moved. I found salt dough and the real thing to produce much better results. The only analogy I can think of is fondant v sugarpaste or modelling paste.

ruby mine went the same tried 2 batches and it went either back to powder or if i added tiny drops of water went runny and impossible to mould very let down as it was for a project with my elderly residents back to salt dough i go

I am 63 YRS old and found a recipe just like this when I was 29 yrs old!! I have made these ornaments all these yrs and have now worked them into a sideline business.I never share my recipe as over the years I have adapted different elements into this recipe. I CANNOT MAKE THESE FAST ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!

I just did this following the instructions and I already have some cracking as the drying process has begun. So I went my fingertip and smoothed them out. I hope that fixes it... I added some text by dipping a toothpick in water and "dotting" out each letter. It took some time but it turned out so well! A friend of mine suggested spraying them with adhesive when they're dry or close to dry to help preserve them. She swore by the method, but if it ends up backfiring I will return to my comment and let you guys know!

The dough is so wet! I can roll it out easily enough, but trying to transfer cut ornaments is useless.. I've continued adding more corn starch, as suggested, little by little with no change. It was said that over cooking would lead to ornaments that cracked, so as soon as it reached smooth mashed potato consistency, i removed it from heat and tranferred to a bowl.. I don't understand why this isn't working, as i followed the instructions to a t.. very disappointed

Roll dough out on a flat cookie sheet or on the back side of your cookie sheet. Then remove the excess dough, you can use a knife or toothpick to help get the excess out from between the shapes. Don't place your shapes real close together. With this method you don't move your the shape at all. You could roll out on parchment paper also which can go in the oven too.

I have used this recipe for years. When I was a teenager, I used to make little free-standing animals and people, which I would paint with tempera paint and then seal with varnish. I still have some of them 20 years later so I know they can last forever. I never thought about rolling the dough out and using cookie cutters on it but that's a fun option.

I saw a number of comments by people who cooked them to mashed potato consistency but then couldn't get the dough to keep its shape. Here is my recommendation: I think you just didn't cook it long enough. I followed the directions listed to cook it until it was like a big ball. Then, mine was a little crumbly, so I added water until it was soft, not crumbly, and not too sticky. It worked great!

For the browning, I saw this recipe on another website recommending you cook at 175 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I air dried, but saw other comments noting that lower temperatures don't brown it. I'll try this next time.

For those of you having trouble moving the ornaments, try using push spring cutters like these (not promoting qvc, but I found these on Amazon and then found them cheaper here) http://www.qvc.com/Prepology-Set-of-8-Holiday-Themed-Cookie-Cutters.product.K34915.html . I cut around, pressed down with the handle on the spring, released the spring, and gently slid the entire cutter with dough underneath it to the edge of my table and off onto my hand. Then I placed it on wax paper gently by sliding off of my hand and gently using the plunger to get it out of the cutter. My dough wasn't overly sticky, so this worked well. I had trouble at first, but I left my dough (after rolling it out) for about an hour while I taught a class. After this, it was easy to get out of the cookie cutter without being damaged.

I made these as a kid and just did with mine. We added cinnamon, smells great! Also, as many others, I fould difficulty moving them. So I rolled it out on my cookie sheet and peeled the trim off while the cutters were still on. Also I baked at the lowest temp my oven could muster for about an hour, longer for the thicker ones. The hanging decorative ornaments for grandmas gift came out beautiful and white, no browning. We have also done 'figures' in the past, not flat ornaments and this recipe works great. The only ingredient missing is the patience anticipation seems to take away while we stare at the oven and wait!

I made these as a kid and just did with mine. We added cinnamon, smells great! Also, as many others, I fould difficulty moving them. So I rolled it out on my cookie sheet and peeled the trim off while the cutters were still on. Also I baked at the lowest temp my oven could muster for about an hour, longer for the thicker ones. The hanging decorative ornaments for grandmas gift came out beautiful and white, no browning. We have also done 'figures' in the past, not flat ornaments and this recipe works great. The only ingredient missing is the patience anticipation seems to take away while we stare at the oven and wait!

I have made this same recipe a few times and absolutely love it! I love the white white look. I always roll mine out a little thick as the ornament you make is much stronger. I also mod pudge them after I make them. I give them two coats letting them dry overnight between coats. This makes them quite strong and you will end up with very little breakage over the years.

I traced hand prints with my daycare children and wrapped them around a small ball to make a little dish for a mothers day gift. I will have them paint them and then spray them with gloss so they are shiny. Mine are drying right now, hope they don't crack at all!! Thanks for the recipe!

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What a great recipe, I usually use salt dough but this definitely seemed like a more delicate looking finish. Just made some large snowflake decorations which I cannot wait for them to dry so I can decorate and get creative!.....

Hi! Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to make toothbrush-holders this weekend with the kids and was wondering: do they get smaller in the drying or baking process? I'd like the tooth brushes to fit in the holes afterwards :-). Thanks!

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This is the best blog I have visited today. Indeed it is Christmas in September and I can say that I have learned a new decorative method and I will try out this weekend to make the corn starch and baking soda ornaments. Meanwhile, students in this forum who are experiencing challenges while writing their academic papers should not hesitate to our writers who can be accessed by clicking on Useful Tips for Writing a Literature Review.

Thank you for all the detail! I want to use this recipe tomorrow to make a father's day Plaque with two handprints and a pic in the middle. Do you think with it being that big it will crack? How thick should I do it for it being so big? I am open for any suggestions to make it a success! Thank you

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I've found it. I made this about 4 years ago, the perfect recipe, then I lost it. I've searched for nearly a year to find it again. Only remembered last night as falling asleep about your angel cutter, so just added that into google & viola. Thank you, thank you. This is the perfect one.

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About Me

I am a mom to two beautiful children and a wife to a wonderful husband. I am a full time mom and a part time project manager. I would love to say this blog is a hobby but I really believe it is my way of having something to call my own :)